Oh, Baby!
The Ultimate Guide to Planning and Throwing an Unforgettable Baby Shower
You don’t have to be Martha Stewart to plan, throw, and/or host a baby shower that your friend will never forget. Something as warm, special and exciting as your relationship with the mom-to-be and the blessing that is on its way. This guide is intended to help you organize a baby shower from start to finish that will be fondly remembered and cherished by all who participate. It contains unique theme packages including decoration and refreshment ideas, and suggestions for gifts and games — everything you need to plan a baby shower she’ll never forget. If you want more information, we recommend the book Diane Warner’s Complete Book of Baby Showers. You should also check out the links at the right for baby shower items.
First things first. Choose a date for the shower. Baby showers are usually held 3-4 months in advance. You would not want for the baby to make an unexpected appearance at the shower, after all! Make sure Mom-to-be is available.
Can the shower be a surprise? It is perfectly appropriate and fun to host a surprise baby shower. I recently coordinated a surprise dessert shower that was wonderful. If it is a co-worker, you may choose to have a surprise shower at the office. Of course, consulting the mother beforehand for input has its advantages as well. It is up to you!
A Note About Hosting Etiquette. According to traditional etiquette, a close friend/friends of the mom-to-be should be responsible for throwing the shower (because of the focus on gift-giving.) So if you are a family member, you may want to enlist the help of a good friend to the expecting mom to actually serve as host. Family members can definitely help in the planning details like suggesting an invitation list, gift ideas, providing refreshments, etc. If you’re a friend to the guest of honor and it is appropriate, you may want to ask her family members to help.
X the XYs? Should the baby shower be co-ed? It is also perfectly acceptable to involve the father-to-be and male friends in the shower. They offer different perspectives and may very much appreciate being involved.
Think Themes. Your job in planning can be made easier by selecting a theme. Invitations, decorations, games, and refreshments can then be designed around that theme.
You won’t find these original theme packages anywhere else.
These unique ideas cover everything — from theme-oriented decorations and refreshments to games and gifts. A great theme makes planning your baby shower a cinch. And I don’t mean "pink" or "blue" themes (nothing wrong with those, don’t get me wrong.) If you have the desire for something a little more elaborate, try one of these on for size. They are not very time or monetarily intensive. You won’t find these anywhere else — I created them especially for simple yet memorable baby shower packages. You can modify to suit your own needs.
Generations of Love. A celebration of the entire family and their heritage. You’d want to make sure that some family members of the parents-to-be (especially the grandparents-to-be) could attend. You’ll also need to contact them for information (a family tree for example.) The invitations could be decorated with a family tree on the outside cover. It could be blown up as a poster and displayed on the wall or front door for decoration. Food could be the expecting couple’s favorite foods as children.
Games would include friends sharing trivia about their own families — famous relatives, traditions, or a funny family story. One game that might be played would be to have everyone bring a baby picture and display them on the table, numbered. Then everybody writes down who they think matches which photo; the winner will be the one with the most correct guesses. You can also give prizes to the attendee who has a birthday closest to the baby’s due date, the mother’s b’day and grandma’s b’day. Your gift could be a baby book or memory book for the expecting mother.
Baby’s Day in History. Plan your party around the baby’s expected due date. Use seasonal decorations for Spring, Summer, Winter, or Fall or any holidays that may fall near the date. Decorations and invitations would also reflect the season in which the baby is due. A food idea would be birthday cake, marked with the baby’s name(s) if the parents already know this detail.
A game would be a quiz about the day in history that you create by doing a little research. Notable births, inventions, battles, and other events in history are a few items you could mention. Another game would be for friends to place bets on when they think Baby will actually arrive! Your gift could be a birth survival kit: full of small items designed for the day of the birth such as hard candy for Mom to suck on, a stress ball to squeeze, a water bottle, a tape or CD of relaxing music, etc. You can place all of the items in a small tote bag.
